AMELIA
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*****
I've been staring out of the airplane window for little over six hours now. Seattle wasn't close to Miami, I knew that much, but when Hayden finally messaged me back saying that he had a guest room in his house that he could let me use, I forgot that living across the goddamn Country from him would require sitting next to an snoring old lady and yammering middle-aged woman.
Seven cats. The woman has seven cats and two of them are having their third litter. Every one is named after a food or a former king from England.
Twenty minutes. Twenty more goddamn minutes on this flight.
"See? Look at this photo," she gushed as she shoved another photo in my face. "This one is Pinecone."
Okay, maybe she switched it up a bit now.
"She's very... cute," I said with a tight-lipped smile. "I, uh... I'm going to use the washroom."
The woman—Breta, I think her name was—immediately frowned. "But I still have so many photos."
Why, Lord... why?
"I'll only be a minute"—or twenty— "I'll be able to see all of your cats when I'm back, don't worry."
I stood up and squeezed through her legs and the seat in front of us, silently thanking God when I managed to make it into the aisle. Just as I closed the washroom door, my phone buzzed in my back pocket. I look at the caller ID and smiled.
"Hey," I greeted, sitting on the toilet seat and running a hand through my hair.
"How's your flight going?" My sister-in-law teased. "I hear you have quite the company."
I chuckled, shaking my head. "Don't start with me, Casey. I've spent the last six hours of my day in between an old lady and a cat freak. I'm pretty sure the old lady might actually be dead, to be honest. She hasn't woken up since the plane lifted."
Casey laughed and I felt my smile widen. "Have you poked her?"
"And have my finger bitten off with her nasty dentures?" I snorted. "I'm not taking the chances."
She hummed. "Well, if she starts to smell then just let me—Hayden, fuck off. I'm on the phone with her this time—"
"Hey, baby sis," Hayden suddenly greeted, causing my smile to grow even more. "I'm so excited for you to come over."
"Me, too," I said with a chuckle, playing with my dark hair. "I'm just nervous. Seattle's an entirely different city in a whole other state."
Hayden laughed. "You're nervous? Mel, you're confident with every challenge you encounter and every time you push through. This isn't any different."
I bit my lip and sighed. "I know. It's just..."
Hayden waited until he knew I wasn't going to finish to speak. "This is about the new job, isn't it?"
I sighed again, chewing on my bottom lip. "Yeah."
Hayden hummed quietly. "Mel, I explained this to you before."
"I know, I know," I groaned out, running a hand down my face. "I just thought that after all of my hard work in university and my internships, my jobs..."
"Getting into the fashion industry isn't as easy as people make it look," Hayden assured me gently, his calm voice immediately soothing me. "It isn't as easy as Mom made it look. It's going to take time, you just need to put the time into it."
I nodded my head more to myself, pursing my lips. I knew that it was just my anxiety getting the best of me. The fashion industry was one of the toughest to succeed in but, like my mother, all I've ever found a passion in was fashion and creating designs in my sketchbook. If it meant starting off in a giant office building then I could do it. Besides, it wasn't the worst job on the planet—I was getting paid a good amount weekly and only had to take calls for whoever the boss was. You know, what normal secretaries do. The fact that I got hired with such a successful, worldwide company is enough motivation I need to suck it up.
It took time and patience to get as far as the top designers have. I was willing to take it if it meant having this job on my resume would score me an opportunity there one day.
"You know I'm right, don't you?" Hayden said. I could only imagine the smirk on his face.
"Yeah," I grumbled out, huffing. "I just want to make a good first impression."
Hayden chuckled. "You'll do great on your first day and we both know it."
I grinned. "I know. I just wanted to hear you say it."
I could imagine him rolling his eyes. "I'm hanging up now."
"No, no, no, no," I rushed out. "I'll stop. I promise."
He hummed. "That's what I thought."
I can hear the smirk in those four words and it makes me scowl.
"Remind me what Casey saw in a giant toddler to make her want to marry you?" I muttered under my breath.
"I heard that."
"You were supposed to."
Hayden muttered to himself and I smiled, staring at my hands. I haven't seen this idiot in almost two years because I've been so wrapped up in school after my freshman and sophomore years, and he's been helping Dad with the business. Now that I'm finally going to be able to see him and Casey for the first time since then makes me the happiest person on the planet.
"I've missed you," I finally mumbled to him, finally setting my pettiness towards who would say it first aside. "My life seems so boring without my overprotective asshole of a brother."
"How did this go from being sweet to insulting me?" He said teasingly, making me smile widely. "I've missed you, too, kiddo."
"Don't call me that, Hayden," I snapped, hearing his soft laughter at the reaction he always gets from me.
"I'm always going to so suck it up." There was distant chatter and he muttered a curse to himself. "I have to go look after Rose. Casey's going to nap again."
I smiled at the thought of my baby niece. I haven't seen her in so long and I've missed seeing her hyper self every chance I got.
"How's Casey doing?" I asked, jumping when I could hear someone knocking on the door.
"Oh, the usual: hormonal, always hungry, sleeping all the time—just the regular things a pregnant woman should be."
I chuckled quietly, pulling the phone from my ear when I heard someone speaking.
"Ma'am, you've been in there for quite some time. Is everything okay?" A soft woman's voice asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine!" I called back. "Just... you know... my, uh... my cervix was ruptured a few days ago and it takes awhile to clean up sometimes!"
Hayden laughed loudly at my last-second response and I could feel the heat flood my face at the stuttered answer I got in response. I groaned to myself, burying my face in my hands.
"You're the worst liar in the whole goddamn family, have I ever told you that?" Hayden heaved through his laughs, making me glare at nothing in general.
"Go to hell, Hayden. You know I hate being put on the spot," I grumbled, hearing his laughter double. "Don't you have to go, asshole?"
"Yeah, yeah," he snorted out, making me roll my eyes. I fought back my own smile. "I'll see you in... what? Forty minutes?"
"Yup," I agreed, nodding. "I'll see you then. Love you."
"Love you, too," he chuckled, hanging up.
***
I ignored Breta the rest of the ride to Seattle. My mind was raising with nerves and excitement as I thought of what I would do now that I was a graduate. I could go explore the city, try some delicious food, buy some nice outfits for work...
"AUNTY MEL!"
I looked up from the calendar on my phone and a giant grin sported across my face, immediately getting on my knees to gather my niece in my arms.
"My beautiful rosebud," I said with a chuckle, kissing all over her face. I could hear Rose giggling like a maniac as I did so. "I missed you so much."
Rose smiled widely up at me and I stood on my feet, walking towards my brother and Casey. Casey encased me in a hug that I could hardly return because of her giant pregnant belly. I smiled, kissing her cheek before being pulled back into my older brother's arms.
"God, I missed your annoying ass," he mumbled into my hair, making me laugh and hug him back tightly.
I forgot how much I loved his hugs.
"You said you couldn't wait to get rid of me so many times," I joked, feeling him grab my suitcases. I grabbed the duffel bag and walked beside him.
"And I couldn't," he agreed, "but I love annoying you more than I love not annoying you."
"Jee, thanks."
Hayden chuckled and I felt Rose grab onto my hand, pulling me with her as we exited the airport.
"We're going to be going out tonight to have dinner," Casey told me, wrapping her arm around my shoulder. "I was thinking Boston Pizza since Rose loves their desserts. Have some laughs, feed my constantly-hungry fetus..."
I laughed, nodding in agreement. "Sounds good. I could use this first night out since I start working tomorrow."
Hayden moved in between his wife and daughter, casually picking Rose up. He grinned at her excited giggle and rested her on his hip, grabbing his keys and unlocking his truck doors. Once we were all in the car, he drove off and made his way to the highway.
As they talked, I couldn't help but get sucked into my own thoughts. Now that I was living in Seattle, starting my first real job for the first time, it felt like I could start over fresh and turn over a new leaf.
After partying a lot in my freshman and sophomore year (which led to doing things I really regretted), I realized that I should pit my career before anything else. I can't have myself distracted by anyone or anything now that I've made it this far. Mom and Dad were successful, Hayden managed to take over once Dad was ready to retire—I didn't want to be that one person in the family that didn't do anything with their lives.
College was a moment in my life I would rather much like to forget. The first two years gave me a reputation of constantly drinking and blacking out on the bathroom until the sun came up. Not to mention making the stupid decision to invite my "friends" with me one night and they all abandoned me while I was throwing up in a trash can for dick and drugs.
I almost got alcohol poisoning that night and swore to never drink like that again. At first, I was just doing it because I had a father and an older brother who watched almost my every move, kept an eye on every person I would bring over—don't even get me started on when I brought a guy home for the first time to do homework. I was sick of being that innocent little girl they prided me on being and got a little too reckless with it.
But not anymore. I'm a grown adult now and I plan to keep it like that.
"We're home!" Casey called to us.
I looked away from the window and smiled when I watched Hayden walk around the truck and help her out, then go around and take Rose out of her car seat. I got outside and stared up at the beautiful family house, my lips parted in awe.
Hayden wrapped an arm around my shoulder and kissed the top of my head, making me smile and clutch my bag and duffle bag.
"Welcome home, sis."
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WORD COUNT: 2009